YouTube has cemented its reputation as the largest video hosting site on the internet and it therefore plays a critical role in any marketing strategy that involves video content. According to the YouTube press room, this platform has more than 1 billion users – which equates to almost one-third of all people on the Internet. Every day, these people watch a billion hours of video. This reach is colossal, making YouTube the go-to platform for any brand that wants to engage consumers via video.

YouTube also reaches a global audience. Consumers can access a YouTube user experience in almost any language. This makes a very strong case for almost any brand, anywhere in the world, to include YouTube in its marketing mix.

Keen to harness the unbelievable marketing potential of this platform?

Here are seven ways to build a brand presence on YouTube:

1. Host your own channel
Set up your own channel on YouTube, where you can tell your brand story through a series of gripping videos. This way, if a user likes your latest video, he or she can go into your library and watch more. You can create a free channel or opt for a paid channel, which offers more features. The main goal here is to have one destination that you can drive YouTube traffic to.

2. Track your views
On YouTube, you can easily see how many people have viewed, commented on and recommended your videos. This way, you can gauge whether your content is compelling enough – and see which video approaches are engaging your audience more successfully.

3. Research your competitors
Use YouTube’s search function to check up on what others in your industry are posting. Watch their videos and identify the ones that are doing well in terms of reach and engagement. Then analyse why these are appealing to your target audience and apply the lessons learned to your own YouTube strategy.

4. Advertise
Advertise your YouTube channel at every opportunity – on your website, blog and in your email signature. Promote it on your social networks and in any newsletters that you send out. You can also incorporate your video content into your competitions and promotions by driving customers to your YouTube channel to watch a “How to enter” video, or an educational video for answers to your competition questions. Make sure you also choose the right settings to enable your viewers to embed your videos in their own media. If they share your videos with their networks, this will boost your views, which helps to improve your search rankings.

5. Use keywords
A key goal is to make your content more visible in YouTube’s search rankings. Do your keyword research and identify those you wish to rank for. Then include these keywords in your video titles, file names, descriptions, tags and annotations.

6. Create great titles and thumbnails
Your title and thumbnail image sell your video. You need to make sure that these grab attention and encourage people to press play. Keep your titles informative but also simple and punchy (ideally 65 characters or less as Google cuts page titles at 66 characters). Make sure your thumbnail image is appealing, true to your video and importantly – high quality.

7. Video content is king
If your video content is not engaging, beautifully executed and on-brand, you can go to all this trouble and still find that your YouTube strategy falls flat. People give you their time when they watch your videos – so make the experience worth their while. If your videos do not add value by being entertaining, funny, cute, cool, interesting, though-provoking, visually appealing or some other form of engaging, you’ll struggle to get the views you want.

Need help with your video marketing strategy and execution? Kri8it can assist you.